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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. spring — the season
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rule — government
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — in music
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — a break
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — of water
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com